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A U.S. teacher was shot to death as he jogged in Benghazi on Thursday, the same eastern Libyan city where a U.S. ambassador was killed last year, according to Libyan and U.S. officials.

The assailants who shot Ronnie Smith are unknown. There is suspicion, however, that the doing is likely that of Islamic militants active in the city.

According to Fadyah al-Burghathi, a spokeswoman for the Al-Galaa hospital, Smith was brought to the hospital on Thursday with gunshot wounds. Smith taught chemistry at the city’s International School, a Libyan-owned institute that follows an American curriculum.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman confirmed that an American citizen was shot and killed in Benghazi. Marie Harf said the State Department was in contact with the family but did not provide further details.

The security official, Ibrahim al-Sharaa, said the American was jogging near the compound where the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed by Islamic militants in September 2012.

Smith was one of four people killed in Benghazi on Thursday. All were taken to the Al-Galaa hospital. The other three were military personnel. The latest shooting shows the dangers of a city that is home to numerous armed groups resisting the central government’s authority.

We send our prayers to the families who lost loved ones in this act of violence.

SOURCE: Huffington Post | VIDEO SOURCE: CBS